1995: The Oklahoma City Bombing
1995: The Oklahoma City Bombing
U.S. Air Force personnel and firefighters removing rubble in the rescue attempt
U.S. Air Force personnel and firefighters removing rubble in the rescue attempt
The United States been enjoying periods of mostly peace during the 1990s. While there have been some incidents, they were usually handled with care. One was the arrest of the Branch Davidians over in 1993 and a year earlier, a tense standoff in Ruby Ridge. The standoff was due to local authorities going to arrest Randy Weaver under a bench warrant after his failure to appear on firearms charges. However, resistance to arrest made the standoff and authorities came in after a negotiation led to Weaver assualting an officer and esolcating violence. Fortunately, no one was killed though the Weaver adults along with family friend Kevin Harris would be arrested and the Weaver children taken into protective custody. [1] Despite this, the signs of these attacks were brief exposures to a festering growth in the underbelly of America. Namely the gradual growth of paramilitary groups linked through anti-government conspiracy and shared beliefs such as anti-Semitism and white supremacism. While some of these groups such as the Posse Comitatus have been active since the 1960s, they only began getting more noteworthy attention over the past few years, with some speculating that with the growing political and cultural changes in the United States, these people were decreasing in number, but becoming more radicalized in their isolation and would begin leading to more trouble. And this would be seen with a sudden explosion in Oklahoma.
170 people were dead. Over 650 people were injured. And a large chunk of the building wrecked, needing to be demolished. All of this would be the result of truck bomb over at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building over in Oklahoma City. Occuring over in late April, the Oklahoma City bombing would be a large disrupton to the calm atmosphere going on. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned multiple cars along with public transporation and causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage. Local, state, federal, and worldwide agencies engaged in extensive rescue efforts in the wake of the bombing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated 12 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, consisting of 720 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations. The attack would be considered the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history. The attack was committed by two anti-government extremists with white supremacist, right-wing terrorist sympathies, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, wth McVeigh having been considered the mastermind. Other arrests included Michael and Lori Fortier and being identified as accomplices. Within less than two hours after the explosion was released, McVeigh would be arrested. While initially concerning regarding gun charges, it quickly escalated as more and more evidence would be found regarding him and Nichols.
Oklahoma Governor Jack Mildren would announce a state of emergancy over in Oklahoma, and ordered all non-essential workers in the Oklahoma City area to be released from their duties for their safety. Meanwhile, logistics would have to handle the sudden influx of humanitarian aid that began pouring across the country as a result of this. And unsurprisingly, it would not be long before President Askew would hear of this and respond. He had learned of the bombing after concluding a meeting with an Iranian diplomat regarding the Turkish-Iranian war when he heard of this. He along with Vice President Chisholm would declare a federal emergancy along with federal financial assistance to the survivors along with reconstuction. All while rescue workers would be given aid and supplies to assist in their work. Back in the capital, Congress would immediatelybegin to work on ant-terrorism legislation to ensure such actions would not happen again. However, as more infomation would be coming out, especially regarding an infamous book known as The Turner Diaries and thus additional plans had to be made. Mainly, the creation of broader legislation to begin examining the overall trend of the potential increase of the activity of such groups. After all, such groups were present prior to this attack and there was always the possibility of imitators or other groups being emboldened by the attack to try such matter.[2]
The international community responded with sympathy and shock at the matter. From Queen Elizabeth II to General Secretary Zhao Ziyang of the PRC to Chief Director Georgy Arkadyevich Arbatov of the SUSR, various condolences came along with even various levels of support with the rescue and to aide in the counter-terrorism investigations. Thoughout April and May, President Askew and Vice President Chisholm would go over to speak to Oklahoma City. The attack would leave quite a considerable impact on the city. As the building would be rebuilt from the ground up, the attack would become a common talk over on various levels and even be considered part of the curriculum not just in the city, but also in the state. Over in Congess, anti-terrorist legislation was being laid out along with other key pieces. One was that after scientists, security experts, and the ATF have put in their concerns,[2] Congress would develop legislation that would require customers to produce identification when purchasing ammonium nitrate fertilizer, and for sellers to maintain records of its sale. On a wider scale, it would begin waking up the United States from the dreamy peace it has endured. While sch groups were few and far between who would do this, the sympathy they garnered along with similar groups who continued on, including the KKK, it was becoming clear that there would be a need to deal with the such dangerous organizations and the rhetoric they were spouting. Budget increases for counterterrorist organizations grew along with manpower to better focus on stopping these plots and the growing concern by these bombers. Pop culture would become influenced as the "white nationalist domestic terrorist" would become the growing archetype amongst villains in crime shows and other works of fiction. This would not stop with the concern of such increasing attacks and the pre-beginnings of facing some of the internal problems that America would have.
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[1]- Information and phrasing from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Ridge
[2]- Information and phrasing from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing